Last year, parks. This year, cities.
Following the completion in 2016 of a slate of industry volunteer programs focused around the U.S. national parks during the centennial of the National Park Service, the industry nonprofit organization Tourism Cares is shifting the focus for its volunteer opportunities in 2017.
Volunteers for November’s Tourism Cares event in front of the Statue of Liberty. Volunteers mulched more than 60,000 cubic feet, protecting nearly 300 trees and other plant life there and at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J.
This year "will be all about cities," said John Yonce, Tourism Care's director for community advancement and engagement. He said 2016 was the first year the volunteer program had a theme, when the organization partnered with the National Park Foundation. In 2017, Tourism Cares will partner with the United Nations World Tourism Organization, with its secretary general Taleb Rifai endorsing its Good Travels Advisor program and networking/engagement support to drive awareness.
The final Tourism Cares event of 2016 took place on Nov. 4 in the New York/New Jersey area, with more than 300 volunteers from 80 travel companies planting, mulching, painting and working on projects to protect and preserve Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and Liberty State Park in New Jersey. The volunteers came from around the country. According to Tourism Cares, the volunteers provided enough mulch to protect nearly 300 trees and planted 1,000 bulbs. Nearly 200 sandbags were placed on Ellis Island to guard against future flooding, while other volunteers painted fences or stacked and preserved roofing tiles on the island.
There were four other cleanup efforts for Tourism Cares in 2016, at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state, Georgia's Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, the Mississippi River National Recreation Area in Minnesota and the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
The organization’s cleanup project at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.
The cities targeted for this year are Oakland, Calif., March 23 and 24; Detroit, May 11 and 12; Providence, R.I., Sept. 14 and 15; and Toronto, Oct. 26 and 27.
"Tourism in cities is important, and not only for the economic impact," Yonce said. "You can also help make cities more livable for the citizens and enhance the lives of the people who live there."
Last year, Tourism Cares partnered with the National Park Foundation for five volunteer efforts at U.S. national parks, including the Grand Canyon.
Yonce said that in addition to helping with cleaning and maintenance, Tourism Cares plans to introduce "skilled volunteering" components in which industry tech and marketing experts can utilize their skills to help out. The Detroit project will introduce Travel's Big Give, Tourism Care's initiative coinciding with National Travel & Tourism Week. It will include sessions on volunteering and how to make travel giving more effective. The organization hopes to make it an annual centerpiece event.
Although the organization recently expanded the number of annual volunteer events, it has still not been able to keep up with demand from industry employees to participate. More than 775 volunteers donated a cumulative 5,000 hours during the National Park Service projects this year.
Volunteers at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Georgia.
"It's hard work, but we always hear that people have fun," Yonce said. "People like networking and engaging [with others]. People feel good about giving back."
There are indirect benefits, as well, Yonce added. "Clients value companies that give back," he said. "It's good for the community, the destination and the industry. And it makes a real impact."